Yale builds lead at College Coed Nationals

Newport, RI (June 3, 2015) – The Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship continued with the top eighteen collegiate teams in the nation now advanced from the previous two days of racing in the semi-finals to make it to the finals event, which began today.

Racing got underway on time at 9:30 a.m., but once the sailors hit the water the race officials called for a wind delay. Eventually the racing began and A-division was able to complete their first race in a light northerly breeze before it died and the officials called for another wind delay. By around 1 p.m. the competitors were back on the water racing. A nice southerly built and brought steady 12-13 knots of breeze in the afternoon.

The temperatures were warmer than yesterday in the low 60s and although the wind was still a bit chilly, the sun was out. The race committee was able to run races until about 6 p.m.

A-division sailed in CFJs and B-division sailed in Z420s. Both divisions were able to complete nine races on windward leeward courses with four legs.

Yale University is leading after today’s racing with a 19-point gap between them and U.S. Coast Guard Academy in second place. In third place is College of Charleston 22-points behind Coast Guard.

Yale was able to sail consistently today to stay on top of the leader board. In A-division they have a 20-point lead over Coast Guard and they are one point behind Coast Guard who is leading in B-division.

“Both our A and B-division teams did a good job of staying in phase and being patient with relying on what they saw on the course,” Bill Healy says, assistant coach for Yale. “We will look to do the same as we have been doing throughout these events, which is to take it one race at a time and not focus too much on the future.”

Sailing for Yale is: Graham Landy ’15 with Charlotte Belling ’16 and Katherine Gaumond ’15 in A-division and Ian Barrows ’17 with Meredith Megarry ’17 and Clara Robertson ’17 in B-division.

Coast Guard also had a consistent day on the racecourse with only a few races out of the top ten.

“We were really speedy, which allowed us to connect the dots in the shifts today,” says Brian Swingly, head coach for Coast Guard. Despite the tricky current running across the course that made starting difficult at times, Coast Guard capitalized on it with their boat speed.

Sailing for Coast Guard is: Avery Fanning ’16 with Hannah Herring ’18 and Robert Turley ’16 in A-division and Nikole Barnes ’17 with Jennifer Lane ’15 and Andrew Britton ’16 in B-division.

College of Charleston is in third place after racing today with the teams behind them in hot pursuit and all very close together in points.

Sailing for Charleston is: Jake Reynolds ’16 with Alicia Blumenthal ’15 in A-division and Charles Rees ’16 with Tierney Driscoll ’15 and Emily Stuart ’16 in B-division.

Racing is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. No race can begin after 5 p.m.

An awards ceremony is scheduled to take place after racing at New York Yacht Club. Awards for podium finishers in this event will be presented, as well as the Everett Morris Memorial Trophy for College Sailor of the Year, the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy for the best overall performing team and the Robert H. Hobbs Sportsmanship Award.

Top Nine Teams, Finals Day 1 (pending protest results)
1. Yale University, 93
2. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 112
3. College of Charleston, 134
4. USMMA Kings Point, 152
5. Old Dominion University, 154
6. Roger Williams University, 155
7. Georgetown University, 159
8. U.S. Naval Academy, 164
9. Boston College, 166

Nationals details – Finals Results

Source: ICSA media

Background: The Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s three national championships, Sperry Women’s National Semi-Final and Final Championship, LaserPerformance Team Race National Championship, and the Gill Coed Dinghy National Semi-Final and Final Championship will be held May 25-June 4, with schools racing Z420s and Club FJs out of Sail Newport Waterfront Center at Fort Adams on the waters of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay in Newport, RI. The events are hosted by Brown University, Salve Regina University and the New York Yacht Club.